Flanked by state and local law enforcement officers, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stopped in Orlando Friday to highlight local efforts to target international criminal gangs in Florida.
Todd Lyons visited Florida Highway Patrol Troop D Headquarters on International Drive to spotlight 287g agreements the FHP, all 67 county sheriffs and hundreds of other police departments in the state have signed with ICE to help with immigration enforcement.
“We can’t do this alone,’’ Lyons said. “Without men and women in uniform across our nation, Ice would not be able to do their job.’’
Lyons said ICE in partnership with local law enforcement have targeted members of the Tren de Aragua gang based in Venezuela. The violent gang is a top priority for enforcement, he said.
He said ICE and its local partners have arrested 68 suspected TDA gang members in the past 48 hours across the U.S.
Florida Highway Patrol Executive Director Dave Kerner added that in Florida in recent weeks, “We have taken into custody members of the TDA, MS-13 and Brothers Circle, which is a criminal gang out of Uzbekistan.’’
Kerner said FHP has over 1,100 troopers who have completed training as designated immigration officers to work in cooperation with ICE.
Col. Gary Howze II of the Florida Highway Patrol said “Just this year, troopers in coordination with ICE have detained and or arrested over 130 illegal aliens to include criminal organizations such TDA, MS-13, the Latin Kings, Brothers Circle and various others representing 14 different countries. This past Wednesday, here in Orange County, troopers stopped and arrested a member of TDA as part of the Alien Invasion Act, Title 50.’’
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said his office is fully cooperating with the federal effort.
“We’re going to continue to partner with ICE, we’re going to continue to partner with the state,’’ Mina said. “And our main goal at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, like everyone else up here, is to get these violent gang members that are terrorizing our communities off of our streets and out of the state of Florida and out of the country. We continue to see they have committed violence in our communities, including extorting people. So, we are all committed to this in partnership with ICE, and the state, and we’re all working as one team to get this done.’’
While billed as a press conference, Lyons and others at the podium took no questions from the reporters present.
Copyright 2025 Central Florida Public Media
